Northeast blackout of 2003
Videos
The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, and most parts of the Canadian province of Ontario on Thursday, August 1
A streetcar left stranded by the blackout in Toronto
People walking across the Queensboro Bridge in New York City during the blackout
Toronto, on the evening of 14 August 2003
Volunteers, like Toronto lawyer Peter Carayiannis (pictured), received fluorescent jackets from the police to direct traffic in Toronto during the blackout. Traffic lights also went out of service.
FirstEnergy
Videos
FirstEnergy Corp. is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison merged with Centerior Energy in 1997.
Northeast blackout of 2003
…and central Ontario and 45 million people in eight U.S. states. The blackout was due to a software bug in the alarm system at the control room of FirstEnergy, which rendered operators unaware of the need to redistribute load after overloaded transmission lines dropped in voltage. What should have been a…
The FirstEnergy Building, the company’s former headquarters in Akron, Ohio
Toledo Edison Company building, 1002 Delaware Avenue, Toledo, Ohio, approximately 1937
The LakeShore Plant in Cleveland, Ohio, as seen during winter 2013. This plant was demolished in 2017.